About two or three times a year I get the pleasure of sitting in for Flap Jones hosting her alternative country program Not Necessarily Nashville on KUAR. On Saturday, June 22, I filled in playing several songs from Willie Nelson’s new album Ride Me Back Home, which had been released the previous day. I also aired some James McMurtry, Marshall Tucker Band, Gram Parsons, Joe Ely, Tom T. Hall and an advance track from an album Rodney Crowell will be releasing in August.
I also featured an interview in the second hour with Dr. Ruth Hawkins, director of the Arkansas Heritage Sites program, who has been key in overseeing the restoration of Johnny Cash’s boyhood home in Dyess, Arkansas. I’d interviewed her many times over the last decade about the project and, as she is about to retire at the end of June, wanted to hear her thoughts looking back. This interview was conducted by Johnathan Reaves, news director of our partner station KASU in Jonesboro.
AUDIO: Hear the first hour of KUAR’s Not Necessarily Nashville, June 22, 2019.
AUDIO: Hear the second hour of KUAR’s Not Necessarily Nashville, June 22, 2019, which begins with the interview with Dr. Ruth Hawkins about her work overseeing the restoration of Johnny Cash’s boyhood home.
Among the recollections shared by Hawkins was bringing Cash’s siblings through the house after the restoration was complete in 2012. I was there that morning and ended up using audio from that to produce a six minute feature about the project that aired nationwide on NPR’s Weekend Edition. You can hear that report here.
Dr. Hawkins (left) taking notes as Johnny Cash’s siblings got the first tour of their childhood home on Oct. 6, 2012 after its restoration had been completed. Here Tommy Cash is inspecting a cabinet as sister Joanne Cash Yates looks on. Photo: Michael Hibblen.
I always enjoy filling in for Flap on Not Necessarily Nashville. It’s a changed of pace from my current job as news director and reminds me of my early days in radio when I was a disc jockey, sitting back and just enjoying the music.
Director of Public Affairs at Arkansas PBS, 35-year broadcasting veteran, photographer, interested in radio, TV and railroad history, author and host of the book and podcast series Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas.
